The Microwave Tower Fire five miles west and southwest of Mosier is now at 53% containment, while the size is now at 762 acres. The Great Basin Interagency Incident Management Team and the Oregon Department of Forestry said Friday that most of the southern fireline is now contained. On the northeast side, successful firing operations are helping secure lines, and firefighters will continue them today, utilizing the dozer line, the Columbia River Highway State Trail, and rocky areas, tying it in with the fire that has already reached the trail, securing it all the way from east to west. Fire officials say the operations will increase smoke and may make flames visible. The fire is showing low to moderate activity with creeping, smoldering, and backing downslope toward containment lines. The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office said that evacuation levels would remain in place today.
Author: mbailey
Whisky Creek Fire At 856 Acres
The Whisky Creek Fire within the Mt. Hood National Forest’s Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness is now at 856 acres in size. The Great Basin Interagency Incident Management Team and the U.S. Forest Service says crews made progress on preparing containment lines to the south of the active fire area, while heavy equipment was brought in to assist with clearing roads and creating fuel breaks reopening a contingency line from the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. The fire is burning within the Mt. Hood National Forest’s Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness and moving steadily along the eastern edge up Woolly Horn Ridge and west towards Waucoma Ridge. Moderate upslope growth is expected to continue around the fire’s edges with a potential for wind to push to the south. Smoke will continue to be visible, particularly in the afternoon, as fire consumes denser pockets of vegetation and dead-and-down fuels.
Crews Making Progress On East End Of Big Horn Fire
Additional resources have arrived to help with suppression efforts on the Big Horn Fire in eastern Klickitat County. The Southeast Washington Interagency Management Team said today containment remains at 21%, with the size of the fire now at 49,063 acres. Highway 14 from Roosevelt to Alderdale Road remained closed, as the fire did reach the highway. Today’s weather brought lower temperatures, lower winds, and an increase in relative humidity, aiding suppression efforts. Evacuation levels remain in effect. Fire officials have confirmed four structures have been damaged, but didn’t have any other details on what kind of buildings they were.
Lone Rock Fire At 45% Containment
Containment of the 136,561 acre Lone Rock Fire south of Condon has moved up to 45%. Northwest Team 2 officials say crews were successful on Thursday at keeping the fire within its existing footprint and continued to focus on patrol and mop-up operations. Today’s focus is on continuing to mop-up and patrol existing line across the fire area, as well as further securing the spot fires on the east and west sides of the fire perimeter. Crews are evaluating the unburned pocket of fuels on the west side of the fire and may conduct strategic firing operations if necessary.
Northern Wasco PUD Joining QLife
The Northern Wasco County People’s Utility District is joining Q-Life. The board of the agency made up of public entities in The Dalles that created a 17-mile fiber optic loop through the city nearly 20 years ago voted to add the PUD to its group on Thursday. PUD General Manager Roger Kline says the utility’s values are closely intertwined with those of Q-Life. Q-Life looks to have all locations in Wasco County have access to high speed Internet at an affordable price point, and to help enhance economic development. Kline says the economic development opportunities that come from access to broadband-level internet cannot be understated. Q-Life adopted a new strategic plan in 2021-22 that included among its goals to build redundancy and capacity and expand its fiber network.
Port of HR Plans Wednesday Single-Lane Bridge Closures
The Port of Hood River says there will be intermittent single-lane closures on the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge on Wednesday from noon to 10:00 p.m. to allow for lift span testing. The closures may cause delays of up to 15 minutes or more depending on traffic conditions. In addition a full bridge closure will occur Wednesday night between 10 p.m. and midnight, lasting about 20 minutes. Another full bridge closure is scheduled for Thursday morning at 5 a.m., lasting approximately one hour. That closure may be extended based on the findings during the lift span testing. Hamilton Construction Co. will be conducting wire rope inspections, and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. will be performing lift span testing.
CGCC Plans Ballot Measure To Reissue Bonds
Columbia Gorge Community College in the November election will be seeking a reissue of the bond it used to purchase and build its Hood River campus and upgrade The Dalles campus in the early 2000s. The reissue would not raise property tax rates in the CGCC district. CGCC Marketing & Communications Director Tom Penberthy says the tax rate for the bond would stay at 27 cents per thousand dollars of assessed value, and bring the school $13 million for various facility improvements. If the bond reissue is passed, the college will also receive a $5.5 million matching grant from the state.
City Of The Dalles Holding Local Government Academy
The City of The Dalles is offering another round of its Local Government Academy. It will be held on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 6 p.m. from August 27 to September 17. City Clerk Amie Ell says it give participants a chance to learn about all facets of municipal government. There is no charge to participate in the Local Government Academy. To be eligible, you must be a resident of The City of The Dalles, at least 18 years of age, interested in future participation in local government, and available to attend all sessions. Applications are due by Friday, August 9th at 5 p.m. Applications are available online at www.thedalles.com/LGA.
Microwave Tower Fire At 14% Containment
The Microwave Tower Fire five miles west and southwest of Mosier is now at 14% containment. The Great Basin Interagency Incident Management Team and the Oregon Department of Forestry said this morning that further containment is expected as the southern end of the 704-acre fire moves into mop-up. Crews are leveraging local knowledge and experience to enhance the effectiveness of using the railroad tracks as line tie-in feature for the west and east ends of the fire, which would also remove fuels and reduce the risk of fire spread. Crews Thursday are also working to improve dozer line connecting to the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail. There are 115 personnel assigned to the fire, up from 43 on Wednesday. The weather forecast predicts cooler temperatures, higher humidity, and lower winds that can provide an opportunity to increase progress. Evacuation levels in place for Wednesday night remain in effect.
Whisky Creek Fire Grows
Cloud cover Wednesday night prevented an infrared mapping flight over the Whisky Creek Fire resulted in no changes in the listed fire size of 288 acres, but officials say it did grow on Wednesday. The fire is burning within the Mt. Hood National Forest’s Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness and moving steadily along the eastern edge up Woolly Horn Ridge and west towards Waucoma Ridge. Crews are preparing containment lines to the southeast from Rainy Lake to Wahtum Lake and continuing to the Pacific Crest Trail about one mile to the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire burn area. To the east of the fire, crews are strengthening a containment line along the Gorton Creek Trail and identifying potential contingency lines further east. There is a community meeting on the Whisky Creek Fire at 7 p.m. Thursday evening in the Cascade Locks Marine Park Pavilion, and will also be available on the 2024 Whisky Creek Fire Facebook page.